In EnglishYesterday the mailman (or in this case a mailwoman) brought me a big box from Germany, dyestuffs: madder, cochineal and a small amount of natural indigo. The quality of indigo has varied a lot when I have ordered it from different places, that's why I like to try with a little first. Madder and cochineal look ok, they are whole pieces, I don't like to use powder, because it is so difficult to get away from the yarn after the dyeing.I am running out of dried mushrooms, so that's why I have to use madder now. Hopefully I get more mushrooms next fall, right now it looks promising: it rained this morning.

Last week I also got new yarns, made from the wool we took last winter to Pirtin kehräämö, spinnery in middle of Finland. This wool was sheared from the sheep last fall, so it was long and good. I always clean the wool from little pieces of hay by hand before we take it to the spinnery, but after summer there is hardly any dirt in the wool, if the sheep are sheared before they are taken inside for the winter.Now nothing but selling days in the market (and other real work) can stop me from dyeing.

Hello Susanna,I think we have a mutual friend, Niina V, because I just saw her yesterday at the market and she told me about American knitters coming to the knitting symposium. She can tell you exactly where our booth is in the market. I will be there Friday June 29th and my husband is there Saturday.And we have mitten kits and yarn with us there. Usually I am the only one there with naturally dyed yarn so I'm sure You will find me:)Hmm, maybe I should take a camera with me to the market next week and take a picture of our booth and then put it here.

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WHY USE NATURAL DYES

"We can keep the knowledge of their use alive, as well as regaining for ourselves a vital contact with the natural world. The ability to correctly identify the plants needed, to understand their growth stages sufficiently well to be able to obtain the greatest dye, offer both challenge and pleasure."

We sell our yarns, mitten kits, knitted things and my husband's photographs at the market Kauppatori in Helsinki. From the beginning of October until mid May my husband will be at the market only on Saturdays, unless the weather is very bad.